Anchor assembly for boats and watercrafts in general

ABSTRACT

An anchor assembly for watercrafts in general, characterized in that said anchor assembly comprises a heavy body, which is removably coupled to a vessel of a said watercraft and connected to a coupling cable, and that said heavy body, as said watercraft has been anchored, provides a “dead body”.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to an anchor assembly for boats andwatercrafts in general.

[0002] As is known, a very important problem for anchoring boats andwatercrafts in general, and, in particular sail boats and high tonnagevessels, is that of providing an anchor assembly or apparatus effectiveto provide a firm and safe anchoring.

[0003] Conventional anchor means provide to use an anchor element, fixedto an anchor chain.

[0004] If the anchor element, which has a comparatively small weight, isthrown on a sand bottom, it will have poor anchoring properties, andwould be subjected to undesired movements because of the sea waves andstreams.

[0005] Moreover, on rock bottoms, prior anchor elements can undesirableeasily jam, thereby they could be recovered only by difficult anddangerous recovering operations.

[0006] Another problem is that prior anchor elements are conventionallycoupled to a galvanized iron chain, which must be necessarily washed bysweet water, in order to prevent any corrosion problems, with aconsequent waste of sweet water.

[0007] Moreover, the links of the chain, in particular those arranged atthe mooring and nose portions of said chains, are subjected to acomparatively quick wear, which cannot be always easily detected,thereby the anchor chain can be easily broken with a consequent loose ofthe watercraft.

[0008] Yet another drawback is that conventional anchor-chain anchoringdevices involve a displacement of the watercraft from the bottomanchoring point, with a possible danger that other chains or cables orbodies could overlap on an anchoring chain at an anchoring place, withconsequent undesired jammings.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] Accordingly, the aim of the present invention is to overcome theabove mentioned drawbacks, by providing an anchor assembly for boats ingeneral, adapted to modify the conventional anchoring technique, andincluding an anchoring element specifically designed to provide a firmanchoring to the bottom of the sea, thereby allowing to use a length ofthe anchoring chain much smaller than that which would be necessary inconventional anchoring apparatus.

[0010] Within the scope of the above mentioned aim, a main object of thepresent invention is to provide such an anchor body which is notsubjected to slip movements the conventional anchors are subjected to.

[0011] In fact, the latter, because of their small weight, haveanchoring properties which are negatively affected by the naturalcharacteristics of the sea and the like bottoms.

[0012] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such ananchor assembly which is not subjected to jammings, even in the presenceof a water bottom including a lot of differently contoured rocks.

[0013] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide such ananchor assembly which can be easily recovered without any dangers oftangling with other anchoring chains or elements which could be presenton the water bottom.

[0014] According to one aspect of the present invention, the abovementioned aim and objects, as well as yet other objects, which willbecome more apparent hereinafter, are achieved by an anchor assembly forwatercrafts in general, characterized in that said anchor assemblycomprises a heavy body, to be removably coupled to the shell of awatercraft, and connected to a coupling cable, and that said heavy bodyis adapted to provide, as it is anchored to said watercraft, a “deadbody”.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Further characteristics and advantages of the present inventionwill become more apparent hereinafter from the following detaileddisclosure of a preferred, though not exclusive, embodiment of an anchorassembly for watercrafts in general, which is illustrated, by way of anindicative, but not limitative, example, in the accompanying drawings,where:

[0016]FIG. 1 is a side view illustrating a watercraft to which an anchorassembly according to the present invention has been applied;

[0017]FIG. 2 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, a detail of the anchorassembly, as cross-sectioned along a substantially vertical andlongitudinal plane, with respect to the keel of the watercraft;

[0018]FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the anchor assemblyaccording to the invention;

[0019]FIG. 4 is a schematic sectional view, substantially taken througha substantially horizontal plane, illustrating the anchor assemblyaccording to the invention;

[0020]FIG. 5 is a detailed side view of the anchor assembly according tothe present invention arranged under the underbody of a watercraft andcoupled to a bulbous element, provided with stabilizing wings; and

[0021]FIG. 6 is a top plan view of the anchor assembly according to theinvention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0022] With reference to the number references of the above mentionedfigures, the anchor assembly according to the invention, which has beengenerally indicated by the reference number 1, comprises a heavy body 2,which is advantageously made of a stainless steel material and is filledby lead, and the weight of which is proportional to the watercraftdisplacement.

[0023] The heavy body 2 is coupled to a stainless steel cable 3, havinga suitable strength, wound on a toothed pulley 4, meshing with a pinion5 included in a motor-reducing unit 6 connected to a driving motor 7.

[0024] Said motor-reducing unit is provided with a locking device,adapted to hold a set position.

[0025] As shown, the heavy body 2 is removably coupled to the watercraftshell 10, and can be arranged at several different positions, dependingon the type of the watercraft itself.

[0026] If the watercraft is a sail boat, then the heavy body 2 can beinstalled in a seat 12 formed in the boat centerboard 11.

[0027] Such a location would be a preferred one, since a separation ofthe weights between the bow and the rearmost region, to provide acentrally located boat center of gravity, would cause an increase of theboat pitching during the sailing.

[0028] As, on the contrary, the connection point of the heavy body wouldbe arranged at a place arranged at the center of the watercraft, then,in a mooring condition of the boat, the latter would be greatly offsetsidewise under the wind stress.

[0029] If desired, it would be also possible to connect to the mentionedheavy body 2, in addition to the steel cable 3, designed for preventingthe watercraft from displacing, a textile material floating rope,providing a comparatively small holding capability, to be arranged in asuitable tube element 20.

[0030] This textile material rope would be extended to the terminal endportion of the watercraft bow where it will be collected on a windingdevice.

[0031] In operation, with the watercraft brought to the anchor place,the heavy body 2 will be lowered to the water bottom, and the watercraftwill be rearward displaced for a distance substantially corresponding tothree times the water depth.

[0032] Then, the steel cable will be recovered by the raising mechanism,to bring the watercraft bow at a position slightly withdrawn from thementioned heavy body.

[0033] The excess rope will then float and, after recovering, it will befixed to a bow bollard.

[0034] In this connection it should be apparent that the textilematerial rope must not hinder the displacement of the watercraft, aspushed by the wind or water streams, since such an effort would beexclusively born by the steel cable.

[0035] In particular, said textile material rope will exclusivelyoperate to properly hold the watercraft bow aligned with the heavy body.

[0036] The laying and recovery mechanism for laying and recovering thecable 3 can be directly installed in the watercraft centerboard, asabove disclosed.

[0037] On the other hand, said laying and recovering mechanism couldalso be arranged inside the boat, at any desired place, in a singleblock or with the components thereof separated and differentlyassembled, and this preferably above the floating line.

[0038] The heavy body 2 is advantageously made with a sphericconfiguration, but it could have any desired configuration, such as apear configuration, a torpedo or bearing wing configuration.

[0039] The spheric configuration, however, has the advantage ofpreventing the heavy body 2 from jamming against objects present on thesea bottom.

[0040] According to a preferred embodiment, the mentioned heavy body canhave a diameter of about 65 cm and a weight of 1,600 kg, therebyproviding a mass constituting a “dead body”, adapted to prevent anywatercrafts of 16/18 m from being displaced.

[0041] With the above disclosed approach, all of the recoveringoperations for recovering the heavy body will be easily simplified,since on the steel cable coupled to the heavy body no further chains offurther boats can overlap, since the subject steel cable has a lengthwhich is slightly greater than the water bottom depth.

[0042] In this connection it should be pointed out, moreover, that inaddition to the heavy body system, a conventional anchor element couldalso be installed, if necessary, without any danger that the steel cableand chain wind on one another, under weak winds of a variable direction,as the boat is further manoeuvred.

[0043] Under a strong opposite wind condition, moreover, the raising ofthe heavy body will be much simpler than a recovery of a conventionalanchor, due to the short length of the steel cable and the comparativelyhigh power of the raising mechanism.

[0044] Moreover, the steel cable, as it is wound on a pulley, does notgenerate any slipping problems and, moreover, since it is made of astainless steel material, it does not require to be washed by sweetwater.

[0045] Furthermore, said steel cable would not be subjected to a weartypically affecting the links of a chain and which, as mentioned, wouldgenerate a series of problems.

[0046] Moreover, by using the steel body in high tonnage vessels, afurther safety element is provided, adapted to safely prevent any driftof the vessel, with consequent very great damages, in particular if thevessel payload comprises polluting substances.

[0047] The heavy body according to the invention also allows to anchor avessel or boat even on water bottoms of comparatively great depth,thereby allowing the vessels to be held away from the coast, since thesteel cable, being wound on a pulley, will have a very reduced volume.

[0048] Thus, it would be possible to store a comparatively great portionof said cable.

[0049] With reference to FIGS. 5 and 6 of the accompanying drawings, aheavy body 2 is herein shown which is applied to the bulbous portion ofa centerboard 11, having stabilizing wings 31 providing the watercraftwith very hydrodynamically efficient features 30.

[0050] In this connection it should be moreover pointed out that thestainless steel cable, coupled to said heavy body, could also bereplaced by a conventional chain or a nylon cable, having any desiredsuitable size.

[0051] In the case shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, stabilizing supporting wings31 are shown which, however, would be optional and, if desired, could bealso provided with further stabilizing elements.

[0052] The latter, as driven by an electronically controlled hydraulicsystem, would be designed for reducing the inclination of thewatercraft, under a side wind, while increasing an exposed sail surface,with a consequent advantage from the watercraft rate standpoint.

[0053] From the above disclosure it should be apparent that theinvention fully achieves the intended aim and objects.

[0054] In particular, the fact is to be pointed out that an anchorassembly has been provided which, by drastically modifying conventionalanchoring techniques, provides a very efficient and operationallyfunctional system.

[0055] The invention as disclosed is susceptible to severalmodifications and variations, all of which will come within the scope ofthe invention.

[0056] Moreover, all the constructional details can be replaced by othertechnically equivalent elements.

[0057] In practicing the invention, the used materials, provided thatthey are compatible to the intended application, as well as thecontingent size and shapes, can be any, according to requirements.

1. An anchor assembly for watercrafts in general, characterized in thatsaid anchor assembly comprises a heavy body, which is removably coupledto a vessel of a said watercraft and connected to a coupling cable, andthat said heavy body, as said watercraft has been anchored, provides a“dead body”.
 2. An anchor assembly, according to claim 1, characterizedin that said heavy body is made of a stainless steel material, filled bylead and designed based on a displacement of said watercraft.
 3. Ananchor assembly, according to claim 1, characterized in that saidcoupling cable is made of a stainless steel material.
 4. An anchorassembly, according to claim 1, characterized in that said dead body hasa substantially spheric configuration.
 5. An anchor assembly, accordingto claim 1, characterized in that said heavy body is arrangedsubstantially at a centerboard of said watercraft.
 6. An anchorassembly, according to claim 1, characterized in that said dead body isapplied to a keel or a centerboard of said watercraft or of a sail boatand constitutes a portion of a ballast material for said watercraft. 7.An anchor assembly, according to claim 1, characterized in that saidheavy body forms a portion of a bow bulb of a high tonnage vessel.
 8. Ananchor assembly, according to claim 1, characterized in that said anchorassembly comprises a cable raising mechanism, including a toothed pulleydriven by a pinion connected to a motor-reducing unit.
 9. An anchorassembly, according to claim 8, characterized in that saidmotor-reducing unit comprises a locking device.
 10. An anchor assembly,according to claim 8, characterized in that said motor-reducing unit isdriven by an electric motor.
 11. An anchor assembly, according to claim1, characterized in that said anchor assembly comprises a floatingtextile material rope coupled to said heavy body, said rope being housedin an housing tube and being extended to a bow end portion of saidwatercraft, and being stored on a rope winding device.